Admittedly, Austria was not at the top of my list of countries that I was dying to check out. I didn’t love my experience in Berlin in 2014, and just assumed that it would be similar (Note that the first three letters in ‘assume’ are ‘ass.’). That said, one of my favorite bosses grew up in the country and always spoke very highly of his tenure in Austria, the friends with whom he still kept in touch, the magical hamlets outside of the bigger cities, and those life-altering pastries.

It wasn’t until I attended a conference in Las Vegas last August and met the most wonderful women from various Austrian hospitality and tourism companies/organizations, that I put the country on my radar.

In September, I was invited to join a familiarization trip to Austria, hosted by the Austrian Tourist Office in cooperation with the Vienna Tourist Board and Salzburg Tourism. What is a ‘familiarization trip,’ you ask? Essentially, it’s a trip exclusively for travel agents and advisors that are provided by suppliers, tourism boards, or operators designed to equip participants with adequate product knowledge to either sell onto clients, or publish for media coverage. Travel businesses host these trips to showcase their business and product to the people who resell or cover them in media.

On October 17th, our journey commenced in Vienna and ended in Salzburg on October 23rd. We spent roughly 2.5 days in each city, and I found this timing to be reasonable for a ‘first taste’ of Austria.

The Journey

How did you get there? I flew from Miami to Vienna via Frankfurt on Lufthansa.

How were the flights? While the meals left much to be desired aboard Lufthansa’s Business Class, I cannot say enough about the impeccable service, anticipation of customer needs (ahem, perfect timing with regards to refills on my wine), getting to experience a 747 aircraft for the first time again since the early 90’s, and an overall visually appealing hard product.

Vienna

Where did you stay, and how was it? A lot of times, I find that my experience at the hotel in which I am staying can make or break my ‘first impressions’ of a new city. That said, The Ritz-Carlton was everything I had imagined it to be. And then some. Besides the impeccable service, spacious accommodations, Frette linens, and great shower pressure, I was treated to a tranquil, urban retreat that boasted a sophisticated and modern ambiance. I relished in my suite’s ample storage space, walk-in closets, beautiful herringbone wood floors, full-sized Diptyque bathroom products, filled water bottles aplenty (that I wasn’t charged to drink from), and a desk with a makeup mirror that rivaled anything at a Laura Mercier counter.

What was the weather like? I found it to be perfect: think daytime highs in the 60’s, and early morning/evening lows in the upper 40’s.

What were some of your favorite experiences?

On our second day in town, our group spent time with Elizabeth Wolf, owner of Artissimi (a local guide service that specializes in luxury experiences.), where we visited some of the shops that have been purveyors to the Imperial Court of Austria. It was at A.E. Koechert’s second floor jewelry atelier, that we got to try on some extraordinary pieces from the royal family, including Queen Sisi’s daughter’s crown (see photo, below)!
St. Stephen’s Cathedral: this is the type of religious experience that has the ability to turn an atheist into a believer. While we didn’t step inside of this famous church, its spectacular and intricately-tiled roof knocked the wind out of me.
We were lucky to have escorted site tours of Vienna’s most fabulous properties, including Hotel Sacher, where we sampled the famous Sacher Torte (chocolate sponge cake, apricot jam, dark chocolate glaze), Hotel Imperial, and the brand new Rosewood. There is truly a ‘home’ for every taste and budget here!

Best meal? It’s not so much the best meal I had, this third of the plate was the most unique and delicious component of Vienna’s most famously-ordered dish, Wienerschnitzel: the Austrian potato salad! This isn’t the junk you get here in the US that’s utterly flavorless and drowning in mayonnaise; this version is served lukewarm and made using boiled potatoes that are soaked in vinegar and dressed with a bit of mustard and other proprietary seasonings. OH. MY. GOD. (Insert heart-eyed emoji here!)

What surprised you the most? I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity in both ethnicity and culture. I’d be a liar if I said that I hadn’t assumed Vienna to be a sea of white folks with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Besides being very dog-friendly, Vienna is impeccably clean!

Salzburg

How did you get from Vienna to Salzburg? Instead of driving from Vienna, we traveled in the First Class car aboard Austria's high-speed train, the Railjet Express. This impressive system transports 287 million passengers annually, and is considered one of the most reliable in Europe. It operates on a 97% punctuality rate, and is Austria's most climate conscious company. 100% of the electricity in operating the trains comes from renewable energy. The Railjet boasts Austria's fast intercity connections between Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, and Zurich.
Oh, and don't knock the food on mass transit until you try the onboard veal goulash and some seriously cold, crisp local beer!

Where did you stay, and how was it? I had the privilege of getting to stay at the 600+ year-old rustic, alpine-luxe Hotel Goldener Hirsch (which translates to "the golden deer"), located in the heart of Old Town, a part of the city with a myriad of pedestrian-only streets (during waking hours) that are chock-full of boutiques, restaurants, bars, and artisanal shops. My eyes were in sensory overload with the abundance of charm oozing from every authentic nook and cranny.

Although the structure itself was ancient, the hotel rooms could not have been appointed with more luxe amenities, including modern technological features and gadgets. Think: a Villeroy & Boch toilet with every water feature imaginable (…and I’ll stop there), monogrammed Frette linens, Byredo bathroom products, furniture with lighting sensors so that, when you wake up in the middle of the night to use the loo, you are guided by illumination. That, my friends, is the definition of luxury: it’s all in the (tiny) details.

What was the weather like? I loved the crisp, alpine climate: think daily highs in the upper 50’s and evenings low 40’s.

What were some of your favorite experiences?

The Salzburger Marionetten Theater: This private Baroque theater was established in 1913, and made the 'UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage List' in 2016. We had the privilege of getting to see a private performance of "The Magic Flute" and the "Sound of Music," before heading backstage to meet the puppeteers!
This 'once in a lifetime experience' was so intimate and special, that it literally brought me to the point of tears. It reiterated why I made this life-altering career and industry move.
Our elaborate “Sound of Music” walking tour with Michaela Muhr: we began at Mirabell Gardens, where some of my fellow travel advisors and I reenacted the famous movie scene where Maria and the children run, skip, and chat “Do, Re, Mi.” (Yes, really. There’s proof of it further below!). From there, we made our way through Salzburg’s adorable Old Town and up to Nonnberg Abbey, where Maria not only spent time as a nun, but this is also the venue in which she wed Captain Von Trapp! Finally, we ended at Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron, Uncle Max's home in the movie where you may recall the infamous lemonade scene with Captain Von Trapp's evil blonde girlfriend (pre-Maria)!

Best meal? Hands down, I would have to say that it was at our dinner set within the gorgeous dining room at the Sacher Grill. We began with Walserfeld pumpkin that was served with a wild herb salad and fresh goat cheese, followed by traditional Wiener Schnitzel and its proper accompaniments (potato salad, mixed greens, and lingonberries), and finished with a Salzburger Nockerl, a fluffy egg soufflé that was served with hand-whipped raspberry cream.

What surprised you the most? The sheer natural beauty of the region is completely jaw-dropping in its picturesque scenery in every which direction: the Eastern Alps, alpine villages, rivers, castles; everything feels like it’s out of a Disney fairytale.

Conclusion

Sometimes in life, it’s the last person on earth with whom you fall in love. But never expected to! This is very much the case for me with Austria, as I had no idea of the degree to which this beautiful country would seduce and entice me: incredibly friendly people, outstanding public transit system, pristinely clean cities and towns that are dog friendly, delicious food and wine, rich culture and history, and diversity.

Have you ever gone on a really good first date that, seemingly, would feel too short, no matter if it lasted 2 hours or 6? Those are few and far between, but sometimes such is the case when visiting new countries! While I love to travel and experience places that I’ve never been, it’s not every flight home where I find myself contemplating my return. Austria, on the other hand, is somewhere that I still cannot get off my mind.

I give Austria a ‘high recommend’ for folks of all ages and backgrounds. There is truly something for everyone’s unique taste and hobby, be it skiing, hiking, high end shopping, people watching, exploring a fabulous wine region, art, music, history, etc.

“It seems that the more places I see and experience, the bigger I realize the world to be. The more I become aware of, the more I realize how relatively little I know of it, how many places I have still to go, how much more there is to learn." -Anthony Bourdain

Traversing Through Austria: Fall in Vienna and Salzburg

Recipe: BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Recipe: Coca-Cola Brownie Cake